1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed invention relates to energy conserving vehicle accessories, namely to a method and apparatus for increasing a ground vehicle's fuel efficiency, without compromising the vehicle's safety and handling.
2. Description of Related Art
The ever increasing demand for fossil fuels has concomitantly spurred innovations for reducing energy use. With regard to ground vehicles, the technology to reduce fuel demand has historically centered on improving vehicle aerodynamics and seeking alternative fuel sources, such as electric energy, biodiesel and ethanol. The technology for improving vehicle aerodynamics has, for the most part, concentrated on reducing drag on the vehicle by streamlining the vehicle's design so that it cuts through the wind with less effort. Cutting through the wind with less effort, in turn, translates into greater fuel economy.
Methods for streamlining the vehicle's design include rounded corners, decreased height, smooth surfaces, and the avoidance of protruding parts.
Conversely, in the world of vehicle racing, objects may be added to the vehicle to, in a limited sense, increase drag or to generate down force. Racing vehicles are streamlined as described above. Such a design, however, combined with high performance engines, causes these vehicles to achieve such high rates of speed that stability becomes an issue, especially when cornering. The vehicles face the possibility of becoming temporarily airborne when encountering bumps or turns.
To counter this unwanted result, spoilers, airfoils or wings (inverted or reversed) are often added to racing and performance vehicles. The down force created by the spoiler or reversed wing enables the drive wheels to maintain traction when cornering at high speeds.
There are a substantial number of aftermarket accessories marketed as improving fuel efficiency, including computer chips, air filters, fuel additives and devices. There is a substantial body of patents and literature describing the use of wings, air foils, spoilers and turbulence modifiers attached to a ground vehicle in order to achieve various effects; however none describe using a specially designed wing to safely create controlled lift on a ground vehicle in order to decrease fuel consumption.
Although technology is improving for new model and alternative energy vehicles, the majority of vehicles on the road are still highly inefficient, some burning as much as a gallon of fuel to travel even seven or eight miles. To counter the ever snowballing energy demand compounded by increasing population, steps must be taken to make not only newly manufactured, but also the millions of existing vehicles on the road more fuel efficient, in turn saving consumers money and reducing environmental impact from fossil fuels.
A device to enable existing and future vehicles to increase fuel efficiency must be relatively easy for the consumer to install or have installed, reasonably priced in relation to the fuel expense that will be saved, and safe to use.